Effective January 1, 2012 Michigan residents are now able to purchase and use all types of consumer grade fireworks within the state of Michigan. Previous to the legislative action taken in 2011 fireworks in the state that were projectile in nature or explosive were banned. With the legalization of these products additional safety precautions should be taken to insure safety.
They are as follows:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

* List courtesy of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

Volunteer firefighters are held to the same high standards as full time firefighters. Within two years on joining our department, each individual must attend a state approved firefighter 1 and 2 course. The department pays for all training but the individual is not paid for his time in the course. The Gibraltar Fire Department is currently accepting applications for volunteer Firefighter/EMT; all applicants must possess a valid driver’s license along with a good driving record. If interested in volunteering applications are available at police desk.

When shoveling snow, please keep any accumulation away from fire hydrants in front of your home. This will allow for easy access to the hydrant by the Fire Department should there be a fire in your neighborhood. 

If a smoke detector goes off, teach family members to test closed doors before opening them: Place the back of a hand on the door to check for heat, starting at the bottom of the door and working it up as high as possible. Then place the back of a hand on the doorknob (metal conducts heat better than wood – if there’s any heat outside the door, the doorknob will be hot). If the door is not hot, crack open the door, stay low, and check for smoke. If smoke is present, use another way out.

• If a detector goes off, there are only seconds to respond. There is absolutely no time to gather possessions, pets and possibly even each other. It is best to leave the home immediately, and head to the prearranged meeting place and call 911 from a neighbor’s home.
• Never go back into a burning home.

In the event of a fire, fire fighters need to be able to access your home easily, without the hindrances of locked gates, bars on windows and unreadable home address numbers. “Homeowners take numerous measures to prevent fires in the home,” said State Fire Marshal Andy Neumann. “But, if the unthinkable does happen, it’s important that fire fighters have every chance to act fast.” The Office of the State Fire Marshal is encouraging homeowners to take the following steps to make their home accessible to an emergency crew.

• Keep back yard fences shut, but avoid putting heavy locks on them, which can make it difficult for fire fighters to access the backyard in an emergency.
• Avoid putting tot-finder and pet-finder stickers on windows. Contrary to popular belief, these stickers can cause fire fighters to enter a burning home unnecessarily. Sometimes people forget to remove stickers after they purchase a home, or forget to take stickers off when a pet dies. It’s better to alert fire fighters about trapped children or pets through verbal notification.
• Make sure home address numbers are visible and readable from the street. Numbers should be painted on the curb, as well as placed on the home in a prominent area.
• Keep doors to the garage, laundry room and kitchen shut at night. Should a fire break out, the smoke detectors should go off, but a shut door can save the house and people from fire. Likewise, sleep with bedroom doors closed, and make sure each family member knows how to test the door before opening it, in case of a fire.
• Forego installing security bars on bedroom windows unless they have releases from the inside.

Please be aware that it is illegal to pump gasoline into any portable container that is not red in color. Portable containers over 50 gallons must also be red in color, and they must have HAZMAT markings/placards on them. Please place all portable containers on the ground before refueling.

Homeowners with fireplaces should extinguish any active fire before leaving the home or going to bed for the evening.